December 2024
Baba’s Family, The Telegraph
The first time I knew myself to be in the presence of greatness was while sitting under a shamiana in New Delhi’s Modern School sometime in the last quarter of 1974. I had recently joined [...]
May 2024
Nehru’s Patel, The Telegraph
In about a week’s time we shall mark the sixtieth anniversary of the death of India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. This column focuses on one key aspect of Nehru’s political career, his collaboration with [...]
April 2024
Among the Mizos, The Telegraph
Last month I spent several stimulating days in Mizoram. I had some knowledge of the state’s political history, met numerous Mizos in the course of my life, but never visited the state before. I flew [...]
March 2024
A Secular Saint, The Telegraph
An Indian I greatly admire is the social worker and pioneer of the Chipko movement, Chandi Prasad Bhatt. My first meeting with him, when I was in my early twenties, had an transformative impact on [...]
January 2024
In Praise of Madhu Dandavate, The Telegraph
The Indian socialist tradition is now moribund, but there was a time when it had a profound and mostly salutary influence on politics and society. Yet few people now know of its past vigour and [...]
December 2023
Hindutva as Pop Culture, The Telegraph
In recent years, a stream of books and articles have appeared seeking to analyse the theory and practice of Hindutva. They have sought to alternatively explain, critique, or justify the rising influence of the BJP [...]